Environmental Analysis of Settlement Patterns in the Late Archaic to Early Woodland Transition in Northern Indiana. Undergraduate Thesis (original) (raw)
Related papers
2014
The Applied Anthropology Laboratories (AAL) of Ball State University conducted an archaeological reconnaissance and reinvestigation project for archaeological materials in Dearborn County, Indiana, for an FY2013 Historic Preservation Fund Grant (Grant 13FFY03). The focus of this Historic Preservation Fund Grant project was three-fold. First, this research targeted Dearborn County, Indiana, specifically focusing on Late Prehistoric period (cf. Fort Ancient) settlement and community organization patterns. AAL targeted previously identified Late Woodland and Late Prehistoric archaeological sites for pedestrian survey, soil phosphate, and geophysical investigations. Second, AAL attempted to identify new archaeological sites through pedestrian survey of agricultural fields in the county. Third, AAL attempted to reinvestigate five archaeological sites (12D200 and 12D272 in Township and 12D202, 12D203, and 12D205 in Township) for the purpose of data correction and enhancement. Approximately 345.67 acres (139.89 ha) of agricultural land underwent pedestrian survey, encountering 50 archaeological sites (5 reinvestigated sites, and 45 newly defined sites) and 12,363 artifacts. Sites 12D45, 12D396, and 12D480 were subjected to soils (chemical and geophysical) analysis (24.5 acres, 9.91 ha) revealing new details of community organization. The project recovered 12,297 prehistoric artifacts and 66 historic artifacts from the ten survey areas that underwent pedestrian survey. Multiple cultural periods are represented in the artifact assemblage recovered from pedestrian surveys, including diagnostics of the Middle Archaic, Middle Woodland, Late Woodland, and Late Prehistoric. Multiple cultural periods are represented in landowner collections obtained for this project as well. These include the Early Archaic, Middle Archaic, Late Archaic, Terminal Archaic, Early Woodland, Middle Woodland, Late Woodland, and Late Prehistoric. Artifact assemblages from pedestrian survey and landowner collections both contain historic artifacts. Overall, the average site density recorded for the project is one archaeological site per 7.18 acres (0.14 sites/acre). Excluding SA2, this overall site density becomes one archaeological site per 8.60 acres. Density for survey areas within the Uplands is one archaeological site per 31.54 acres. Density for survey areas within the lowlands is one archaeological site per 1.84 acres. The average artifact density for this project is one artifact per 0.03 acres (34.42 artifacts/acre). When excluding SA2, this average artifact density is one artifact per 1.33 acres (0.75 artifacts/acre). Of all the sites from this project, a total of nine are recommended as potentially eligible for Indiana Register of Historic Sites and Structures (IRHSS) and the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)
Investigations of Fort Ancient Settlement and Community Patterns in Dearborn County, Indiana
The Applied Anthropology Laboratories (AAL) of Ball State University conducted an archaeological reconnaissance and reinvestigation project for archaeological materials in Dearborn County, Indiana, for a FY2013 Historic Preservation Fund Grant (Grant 13FFY03). We specifically focused on Late Prehistoric period (cf. Fort Ancient) settlement and community organization patterns. We targeted previously identified Late Woodland and Late Prehistoric archaeological sites for pedestrian survey, soil phosphate, and geophysical investigations. Second, AAL attempted to identify new archaeological sites through pedestrian survey of agricultural fields in the county. Approximately 345.67 acres (139.89 ha) of agricultural land were subject to pedestrian survey, encountering 50 archaeological sites and 12,363 artifacts. Sites 12D45, 12D396, and 12D480 were subjected to soils (chemical and geophysical) analyses revealing new details of settlement organization. Diagnostics from pedestrian surveys indicate activity during the Middle Archaic, Middle Woodland, Late Woodland, and Late Prehistoric periods. We also examined landowner collections from investigated sites which demonstrate occupation spanning the Early Archaic through Late Prehistoric periods. Overall, the average site density recorded is one site per 7.18 acres (0.14 sites/acre). The average artifact density is one artifact per 0.03 acres (34.42 artifacts/acre). As a result of the surveys conducted, nine sites were recommended as potentially eligible for the Indiana Register of Historic Sites and Structures (IRHSS) and the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
The high density of Late Woodland and Late Prehistoric Period habitation sites in northwest Ohio, south of the Western Basin of Lake Erie, suggests that this area experienced a period of significant human activity in late prehistory. It has generally been accepted that in this area the intensification of maize subsistence and a subsequent transition to a more sedentary, agrarian-based settlement pattern occurred during the transition between the Late Woodland and Late Prehistoric Periods (750AD-1450AD). This proposed settlement shift has been described by many as a transition from short-term, often seasonal occupations of lakeshore-oriented sand spits, prairies and major downstream drainages to more sedentary agricultural village settlements located upstream at secondary river confluences, well-drained ancient beach ridges, and/or defensible river bluff locations. While this proposed change in settlement patterns is frequently cited in academic literature, the primary data supporting this change is largely qualitative and anecdotal in nature. Geographical Information System (GIS) Technology provides a new approach to conduct a regional settlement pattern analysis of this area in order to substantiate, quantify, and characterize any proposed change in habitation patterns that may have occurred during this time period, subsequent to the intensification of maize subsistence. The settlement analyses presented in this thesis represent a first attempt to not only aggregate the necessary habitation site data to permit a comprehensive settlement analysis in this region, but also the first to utilize GIS technology combined with environmental data to do so. It is believed that a better understanding of changes in settlement patterns – spatially, chronologically and qualitatively – can help to provide new insight regarding the cultural change that was likely occurring during this transitional time period, as archaeologists are still in its early stages of developing a more comprehensive understanding of the late prehistory of this region.
Archaeological Investigations of Northern Benton County, Indiana
Indiana Archaeology, 2019
The Applied Anthropology Laboratories at Ball State University conducted a data enhancement project for archaeological resources in Benton County, Indiana for a FY2015 Historic Preservation Fund Grant (Grant #18-15FFY-03). This Historic Preservation Fund grant project investigated the archaeological resources of Benton County, Indiana with a focus on the northern half of the county. Approximately 841.29 acres (ac) (340.46 hectares [ha]) of agricultural land were surveyed, and 85 new archaeological sites were recorded. The survey recovered 81 precontact artifacts and 442 historic artifacts from 12 parcels of land within Benton County. Cultural periods that are represented in the artifact assemblage include precontact components dating to the Late Archaic, Terminal Middle Woodland/Late Woodland, and possibly the Early Archaic, in addition to 54 Historic components. The average site density recorded in the project area for precontact sites was one site per 20.03 ac. The average site density recorded in the project area for Historic sites was one site per 15.58 ac. Through these surveys we have been able to document special use of unique microenvironments that are characterized by dry upland rises surrounded by a combination of diverse ecozones within a small area providing rich and diverse resource for precontact inhabitants of northwest Indiana.
In this study, we compiled unpublished archival documentation of archaeological site locations from the southern part of the Cuyahoga River Valley in northeastern Ohio, USA, registered at the State of Ohio Historic Preservation Office into a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) database. Using digitized soil shapefiles to generate a geomorphic data layer, we assessed the spatial and temporal distribution of 79 known archaeological sites by landform association. This digital compilation indicates that Woodland period, Late Prehistoric, and Historic sites occur in most geomorphic settings along the river valley. In contrast, Paleoindian and Archaic sites only occur on Wisconsinan cut terraces and in upland interfluve settings, indicating that most of these documented sites are in primary contexts and have not been reworked. We discuss the distribution of archaeological sites in the study region as a function of various factors, including cultural activities, taphonomic processes, landform development, and the nature and extent of the original archaeological surveys. Observed spatial patterns of known sites clearly reflect local geomorphological controls; artifactual contexts from the earlier prehistoric periods are under-represented in the database. We conclude that additional site surveys, as well as the excavation and documentation of new sites in this part of Ohio, are required to understand local prehistoric economies and to ascertain patterns of culturally mediated land use.
In this study, we compiled unpublished archival documentation of archaeological site locations from the southern part of the Cuyahoga River Valley in northeastern Ohio, USA, registered at the State of Ohio Historic Preservation Office into a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) database. Using digitized soil shapefiles to generate a geomorphic data layer, we assessed the spatial and temporal distribution of 79 known archaeological sites by landform association. This digital compilation indicates that Woodland period, Late Prehistoric, and Historic sites occur in most geomorphic settings along the river valley. In contrast, Paleoindian and Archaic sites only occur on Wisconsinan cut terraces and in upland interfluve settings, indicating that most of these documented sites are in primary contexts and have not been reworked. We discuss the distribution of archaeological sites in the study region as a function of various factors, including cultural activities, taphonomic processes, landform development, and the nature and extent of the original archaeological surveys. Observed spatial patterns of known sites clearly reflect local geomorphological controls; artifactual contexts from the earlier prehistoric periods are underrepresented in the database. We conclude that additional site surveys, as well as the excavation and documentation of new sites in this part of Ohio, are required to understand local prehistoric economies and to ascertain patterns of culturally mediated land use. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A Data Deficient Region: An Archaeological Survey of Newton County, Indiana
Indiana Archaeology, 2017
The Applied Anthropology Laboratories (AAL) at Ball State University conducted a data enhancement project for archaeological resources in Newton County, Indiana for a FY2014 Historic Preservation Fund Grant (Grant #18-14-FFY-03). This Historic Preservation Fund grant project investigated the archaeological resources of Newton County, Indiana with a focus on the Iroquois and Kankakee Rivers and the southern half of the county (Beaver, Grant, Jackson, Jefferson, Iroquois, and Washington townships). Approximately 902.84 acres (365.33 hectares) of agricultural land were surveyed, and 89 new archaeological sites were recorded. The survey recovered 55 prehistoric artifacts and 1274 historic artifacts from eight parcels of land within Newton County. No human remains were discovered as a result of this grant project. Cultural periods that are represented in the artifact assemblage include Late Archaic components that were documented from the precontact era, in addition to historic components. The average site density recorded for the project area for precontact sites was one site per 36.11 acres and for Historic was one site per 12.20 acres. This article will concentrate on the prehistoric results of this project.
Reports of Investigation, 2017
The Applied Anthropology Laboratories (AAL) at Ball State University conducted a data enhancement project for archaeological resources in Newton County, Indiana for a FY2016 Historic Preservation Fund Grant (Grant #18-16FFY-04). This Historic Preservation Fund grant project investigated the archaeological resources of Newton County, Indiana with a focus on the two central townships, Beaver and Jackson, and under-represented ecological communities within Newton County based on FY2014 and FY2015 surveys. A total of 932.27 acres (377.27 hectares) of agricultural land were surveyed, which includes 5.63 acres of resurveyed area, and 110 new archaeological sites were recorded. The survey recovered 103 prehistoric artifacts and 4,063 historic artifacts from nine parcels of land within Newton County. No human remains were discovered as a result of this grant project. Cultural periods that are represented in the artifact assemblage include precontact era Middle Archaic, Middle-Late Archaic, Late Archaic, and Late Woodland components, in addition to Historic components. The average site density recorded for the project area for precontact sites was one site per 24.53 acres and for Historic sites was one site per 10.02 acres.
1999
Abstracts are made available for research purposes. To view the full report, please contact the staff of the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology (www.gbl.indiana.edu).At the request of Environmental Management Consultants, Inc. (EMC) of Evansville, Indiana, the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology at Indiana University (GBL) conducted a Phase IA archaeological surface reconnaissance of approximately 80 acres proposed for residential development in Vanderburgh County, Indiana. The project area is located 3 miles northeast of downtown Evansville. This report describes the nature and cultural background of the project area and presents the survey methods, results, and interpretations of the archaeological survey. The purposes of the archaeological reconnaissance were to: I) identify and document cultural resources in the proposed project area; 2) if cultural materials were discovered, assess their potential for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and t...
International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2014
Agricultural journals were in wide circulation in the nineteenth century, and they were means of transmitting information about agrarian technologies and techniques to American Frontier-Phase farmers. This article explores the environmental and cultural context for the addition of a drainage feature to a nineteenth-century farmstead in Illinois (called the Bond Farm site), which preceded the site’s eventual abandonment when rainfall reached anomalously high levels. Geoarchaeological and paleoclimatologic datasets are presented as evidence of high rainfall, and the period of site settlement is constrained by both artifact and documentary sources. High maintenance costs associated with occupying the structure apparently exceeded the value of remaining, so the site was abandoned. As archaeologists grapple with how to determine causation in site occupation and abandonment, we advocate a multidisciplinary research design in historical archaeology that includes geoarchaeological analyses, which can be useful in building a microscale settlement reconstruction.